The Memories of Lula
by PandaLovingTaco
Summary: Lula is visiting Africa with her family when tragedy strikes. Due to certain events, Mufasa and Sarabi take her in. She lives with the other pride members, but when Mufasa dies and Simba runs away in fear, Scar soon ascends the throne. Lula is forced to run away and try to find help, but not before finding out the reason behind all of this misfortune. Will everything go as planned?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I do not own The Lion King despite my wanting too. I am doing this for my own entertainment. By the way, mainly everything is in past tense for a purpose! Thank you for reading and having a wonderful day/night! :)**_

_**Chapter One: **_

My parent's and I liked to live very humbly, but on one summer when I was thirteen, we indulged to stay a month in Africa. The safari life was my favorite part of the trip. I adored the smell of fecund vegetation of layers of grass upon dry soil, where even I had a hard time to suppress the urge to run out into the fertile fields of devil thorns' and flame lilies'. The air smelled sumptuous with the different varieties of crops being grown due to the pollination of the bee species. Despite having an outrageous fear of butterflies, for a short while the colors of the wings of the small creatures seemed to captivate my attention and brought on the figments of my imagination. To me, the color yellowing resembled the illuminating sun and its whiteness remembled the clouds in an ever blue sky.

At night, when the crickets sing their lullabies and drew me into a deep, deep sleep, I imagined the moon sending its smiles for the night critters to awaken their day, thus indicating that no matter where I am in this beautiful, wildlife haven, there always is somebody restless. Of course being the Tarzan that my family is, we did not rent any automobiles for the duration of our stay. Sure, walking upon miles and miles on scorching terrain was not ideal to most of the majority, but my parents and I adored the life almost living in the civilizations before they were industrialized. Well, maybe except for my mother. She just liked to tan in the sun! The radiation is a terrible thing for the human body, I know, but try to tell that to my mother!

Watching the herds of buffalo migrate north, the flocks of birds soaring through the blue yonder, and groups of elephants splashing each other with their trunks were the reasons why we kept on coming back for vacation here.

"Lula, you know I only come for the sun!" interrupted my mother.

When we first arrived in Africa, I promised myself that I would communicate with the animal residents, so I could write down their intake of life in another viewpoint as never told before.

On one particular day, however, my parents and I were separated. I had to biggest urge to pee! It was early on a Saturday morning and I probably had awoken due to the chirps of birds that flew nearby or from the snores that escaped from my mother's mouth. My father's gassy body, most likely didn't help either.

"I wish I had my own tent to sleep in..." I thought to myself. Before his stink could penetrate my nose and make my eyes water even more, I zipped the tent open and took in a breath of desperately needed fresh air. Shielding my hands above my eyes as an attempt to block out the sunshine, I stepped out onto the magnificent pasture of sod. Wanting to relieve myself, I knew I should take my backpack equipped with my safety knife, ibuprofen, limited crackers, a box of matches, and a bottle of water just in case.

"You never know what could happen!"

Whn I put this pack on my back, I ignored the protests of my body that screamed because of the weight of the bag packs heaviness. I trudged westward, as this was where the perfect spot of a mixture of shaded trees were. About forty feet away from my camp site, I know this location ensured enough privacy so I had enough peace and quiet.

"Maybe I could ask dad for us to visit the giraffes today?" I questioned to nobody in particular. Before I walked back to camp, I looked around to depict a better view of my surroundings and noticed a tiny bulbul among one of the branches in the tree I was under. Then, I watched as it chipped to one of its family members and bounced off the twig, and flew to my right side on the ground.

"Careful!" I exclaimed quickly when the bulbul almost fell on its own feet.

"This is absolutely amazing. I got to glimpse the life of a bulbul when other friends my age played on the computer all day. They sure missed out!" While I was about to move back to my tent when the young-ling flew away, but I heard a shout with a mixture of an outraged growl in the distance.

"AAAHH!" I heard both my parent's scream.

"M-mom...? D-dad...? I immediately felt dread rushing over me and my legs became jelly. My heart felt like it stopped too. A part of me knew that I should of run over to them and wonder what was going on, but my conscious told me to stay away and out of sight. I hide in a bush that was near and prayed to g-d that everything was going to be alright. This fern brought me back to a couple of days ago when the following happened:

* * *

_***Flashback***_

"Oh come here you half-witted fish!"

"You yokel, stop moving before I send you to the mattresses!"

"Fudge nugget!"

Listening to my dad complain is one of the reasons why I cherish him so. After he caught a couple of fish, we brought them back to camp.

"Honey, you alright over there?" inquired my mother as she was putting on her tanning lotion for the fifth time this afternoon. After about a hour, my parents were tired so they decided to take a quick nap.

This was the highlight of my day yesterday. As per usual, I stood awake instead of going to sleep for a purpose. I wanted to surprise my parent's with an already made lunch. I sauntered over to our version of a mini "kitchen", although it was only a fire pit.

When I looked at my father's masterpiecw, his Picasso, I remembered how proud he was it it. He felt estatic and yelled to his audience, which was just my mother and I, "Lu, look at the fire I built!" blurted my father.

However, to bad for him because that, was when my mother and I both noticed his shirt on the fire pit. "Hey honey, your shirt is on fire..." sneered my mother while we both laughed hysterically. Looking back at the occurrences between them only resulted in my amusement.

Being very careful, I ushered my father's "half-witted" fish that he caught yesterday and put it over the fire, which I had just lit with my box of matches. The smell of grilled fish invaded my nose and almost made my mouth water. One thing I loved more than anything in the world was food. It satisfied every fiber of my being.

"Questo sta per essere deliziosa!" I imitated in an Italian accent. "It is going to be delicious!"

All of a sudden, I heard some movements in the shrubbery to my left. I brought my hand to my pocket and gradually took out my knife I packed with me for the trip. I clutched onto it shakily.

"This is not a scary movie! This is not a scary movie!"

"Is anybody there?" I managed to sputter. The bristling in the hedges stopped at the sound of my voice. Thinking everything was okay now, I exhaled and mocked myself.

"See Lu, there is nothing to be jittery about." I contemplated personally, but much to my dismay, a wee golden hairball put my branch that was cooking the fish to his lips and hastily tugged it to wherever he was going. I only caught a tiny glimpse of him because of the trail he left behind.

"Now, Lula, if you do ANYTHING to my fish..." my father said to me after he caught it.

"Oh cripes, let me have my fish back!" I panicked, not wanting my head to be put on a platter.

I reached out and almost whisked towards the meager lion, but I assured myself that it was not worth the trouble. Well, what I meant was that my legs got tired of jogging.

"Maybe my dad will understand?" I could only hope!

"I just hope he likes grilled fish…" I bantered and strolled back to wake up my parents and had to explain how a cub ate our meal. They never thought of me the same since.

"OF COURSE LIONS LIKE FISH LULA!" wailed my father as my mother burst out laughing.

"Only that would happen to you!"

"Now I am going to have to catch another one!" He started to walk away but turned back and said:

"You better hope that I find another chub!"

I swear I thought my head was going to be served for a meal that night!

* * *

Having been brought back to the present, I noticed that drops of sweat were pouring down from my forehead and I had to shake my shirt from my anxiety. Staying hidden for what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes, I then saw in slow motion three hyena's jump from my left in what I could barely make out to be elephant grass.

They licked their lips and laughed maniacally, probably their attempt to frighten me. I then held my breath as they drew closer until I saw that one of them were dragging my mother's lower body across the plains. All of a sudden, I had the biggest need to vomit. I started to move backwards, but my foot hit something hard, perhaps a rock being unnoticed, and I the need to stifle my groans of pain as I lifted my head off the ground. The three hyena's were on top of me in an instant, and one of them pressed down unto my arms. A flash of pain struck my body. I felt as though my arm shattered like broken glass.

I looked into his eyes and noted a strip of white fur that looked like a messed up mohawk from the late twentieth century. Drool dripped from his mouth and his tongue stook out from amongst his revolting yellow teeth. To lighten up the atmosphere, I imagined that his teeth were yellow because of to much caffeine. I tried to stand up, but his paws held me back in protest to these actions. His other two buddies began to encircle me and then I was completely surrounded. In penchant, they fondled with their chapped lips again, but most of my attention was to the own holding me down. I failed at my endeavor to kick him off and only succeeded in injuring myself further. At this point, I had begun to loose hope.

"Well look who we have here, a little girl..." the hyena snickered maliciously.

"Just one more meal for us to eat!" he growled and almost clawed at my chest, but a loud roar interrupted his actions. A figure plummeted from behind, and drove the hyena off of me.

"Go now!" roared the obscure silhouette.

"Wait, did that lion just speak?"

'When could hyena's speak English too...or am I speaking their language?' I wondered.

"A talking lion though? Seriously?"

"Did the image of my dead mother make me go insane?"

"Am I going to be a psychopath like the people I see on television?"

As my thoughts twisted and turned in my head, I realized that the figure left me a chance to escape. "Thank you Mr...?" remembering my mother always telling me to be polite.

"Or should I say she used to tell me to always be polite..."

I weakly stood up and blinked my eyes a couple of times to get the dust out. While I standing up, the weight of the loss of my mother seemed to dawn on me. I closed my eyes and tears sprang to them, but I knew that there was a change my father could still be alive.

"I am not stranded yet..." I managed to whisper, yet it seemed more like the murmurs of leaves if anything. I slowly strut back to the camp site, remembering the times my family and I experienced here all the way.

* * *

_***Flashback***_

"Lula, look at these meerkats!" exclaimed my father excitedly.

I glanced at him just to see flashing lights as he snapped each photo.

"Snap, snap, snap!" "Snap, snap, snap!"

"Um dad, are you talking for the camera?"

"Hey, I got to be entertained somehow!" "Just don't tell your mother!"

"I don't think I want too..." I lied.

He squat very low to the earth as if he was a cat ready to pounce. He stood stagnant to capture a family of meerkats searching for insects to have as a meal. One of them, however, perched near one of the pigeon-holed rubbles. The male meerkat took a deep sign and swung its legs back and forth, where he imitated a children's swing set. To my eyes, he looked unsatisfied with his current lifestyle.

Feeling sympathetic toward this bemoaned fellow of mine, I opened my bag to get a pack of crackers out. I took about two and crunched them in the palm of my hands, and threw the crumbles at him.

"Food always makes me feel better!" I hollered to the desolate meerkat and watched him look at me curiously.

"Lu, let's move on to the Northern Plains!"

"Okay! Give me a second, dad." I replied and waved goodbye to my new friend. I could not help but giggle when he brought a couple of cracker remains to his nose and stuck his tongue out to lick the remains of the crumbles slowly. I swore I perceived a small smile form on his stern face.

"Thank you..."

I looked back at him after I heard this. Did he just say something?

"Oh gosh, I must be crazy!"

* * *

"Lula, do not hog all of the toilet paper..." exclaimed my father sternly.

"Lula darling, I love you and all, but give your father and me a break..." joked my mother.

More negatively thoughts sprang into my mind after thinking about the past. I could not help but try to picture my mother's half torso funeral; my father's empty casket, and maybe mine too. I tried to imagine them lying peacefully in heaven, or somewhere above the clouds, but I just did not want to think of their deaths. How are my parent's going to comfort me if they are gone? What is going to happen to me with no more other living relatives?

Even though I was only forty feet away from the site, it seemed like yards away to me. I wanted nothing more than to pass out from no energy and from the pain, but I had to check if my father was alright. Looking up, the sky held traces of mixtures of red and pink, the brightening morning sun in which I usually adored, but not this time around it did not amuse me. To me, this image was now stained with bloodshed and murder, the worst day of my life, and most likely the last day too.

I finally approached the site, and fell to my knees at the sight of its gore. My father's limp body stuck out like a sore thumb. His bloody hands next to our canteens and his right leg thrown above the tent. Shoes that belonged to both of my parents were scattered across the territory; the pictures I drew of our times here were ripped apart into pieces and neglected. I then collapsed onto the floor in anguish and lamented no more. I truly was all alone.

* * *

_**The Next Night**_

When I came to, the first thing I felt was pain. My body ached from the acts of yesterday-my head felt like it was going to explode. My arms stung from all the mosquito bites there, but my misery was mainly emotional. It took a plethora of energy to ignore the ringing in my ears from the taciturnity in the vicinity.

I sat up a bit and wearily blinked my eyes several times. While I tried to scout my environment, it appeared to be nightfall. Pieces of camp site objects remained, but my parent's bodies were no longer in existence.

"Some brutes must of had them as their meals…"

In the beginning of the trip, I was memorized by the songs of the crickets and the colors of the sunrise, but now the sky was totally pitch black and the moon would not send its sympathies down to me. I attempted to stand back up for the sake of my well-being, yet due to it being so dark outside, I tripped over my own two feet.

I lay my head back down and closed my eyes again. My sobs heaved my body forth, and the evening breeze made me shiver with fear. Usually at this time, my parent's would be sleeping with me. They would of-

"No, I do not want to think about them right now!"

My tears burned from the blisters that covered throughout my body; my stomach rumbled and begged for food to eat. Not having the stamina to remove the few crackers that I had left in my sack, I closed my eyes and whisked away into a restless slumber.

* * *

_**Dawn**_

I stood up and forgot about the world around me. With my backpack on, I walked eastward. I am not sure why I wanted to go to this direction, but my gut told me to head this way.

_** "This is where you need to go…"**_

I pushed all of my thoughts out of my head and moved on. On this day it I promised that I would move on. No more weak, feeble, sickly Lula. I cannot let my agony overturn my ingenuity and purity.

"_**Help is on the way!"**_

I will not let myself die out in the savannas! This would dishonor my family's dignity. While hiking to the east, I came to the conclusion that my supplies will deplete before aid arrives. I only had ten crackers and a now half empty water bottle left. I tried to ration everything as much as I could, but if I did not get assistance soon, my body would shut down and I would become food for a baboon.

As I continued marching, the rationing of food finally emptied. The pains of hungry forced my arms and legs to shake with such a fiery exertion that I was forced to rest. Sitting on nothing but a piece of timber to not further dirty my pants, I took in my surroundings.

Baobabs covered verdant domain, and there were Hornbills perched among their porches. Blossoms swayed as the winds brushed their petals from left to right, especially as hundreds of honey bees spread their pollen to repopulate the region. The sun was a florescent yellow with a touch of red or orange, though contoured. What took my breath away was the warmth from its rays. It comforted me like a mother would to her baby; it made me recall my times of my mother holding my newborn cousins and of the times of my father consoling me when people from school bullied me for my prudence-

_** "Did I not say not to dwell upon them!?"**_

When I was about to trek forward, a sharp shift seized my attention. I caught a couple of hushed tones in the distance. Of course due to being alone for so long, hearing these voices made me quite unnerved. I perilously wanted to explore to the area where I heard these sounds, but the agitation from my legs were decelerating my typical pace.

"I need something to eat..." I wanted to beseech but couldn't form the words from my dry mouth. Just one sip of water would of made my day, though I was too late.

"...I do not think I have any days left..." I grunted and let out a wheeze. Definitely being prone to panic attacks was not helping.

"Please...help..." I muffled feebly and knew no more, but little did I know an auburn mane lion and a pale cream lioness was examining me from afar.

"Can we keep her!?" inquired a young male lion.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do not own "The Lion King" except for my for my character Lula and the poem I wrote down below. I put some of the "Book Thief" Death quotes and Phil Collin's song, "You will be in my Heart". By the way, I updated chapter 1 again so make sure you reread it just in case you didn't notice the update. Thanks for everything! :)**

For some reason when I awoke, I remembered a poem I wrote back when I was younger.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"Hey mom, look what I did at school today!" I wailed as I handed my mother the paper and heard her repeat:

Not everyone is happy,

That we all can see,

But what is life,

Without the misery?

Gloom spreads all around,

It never seems to cease,

And it's never created,

It's a part of our mind,

That takes all our feelings away;

Our smiles were our frowns

We all just silently look down,

Praying;

Oh just praying,

For everything to be taken away

And we might say,

Why is it me?

And, yet,

We never see,

What life really is?

A beautiful,

And tragic melody

My mother stopped reading and looked up at me. She was about to say something but stopped. She instead smiled sadly.

"Let's go water the plants outside, okay?"

"Okay mom!" I skipped over to our back porch and disappeared from view. The only thing being shown was my mother crushing the poem I had given her and the look of despair written across her entire face. It looked as though she knew something I did not.

* * *

_**Nightmare**_

I shook my head and stared out into the sky and lost myself in its crimson coloration. Instead of an amber sun, it was covered with charcoal. The clouds were not its usual pure, angelic white, but were ebony and bloodshot. I scanned my ambiance and got my eyes to focus on two indistinct shadows, despite having microscopic pieces of flakes affect my eyesight. I wanted to rub my eyes, though I feared of losing the shapes standing still on the darkened hills towering stories above me.

"Lula…."

"Lula…"

"Come over here sweetie…"

"Mom? Dad?"

**"Can a person steal happiness? Or is just another internal, infernal human trick?"**

I immediately recognized my parent's voices so I galloped to the top of the hill. I was getting closer and closer to the misty shapes when a thought came to mind.

_**"Aren't my parent's dead…?"**_

All of a sudden, memories flooded back to my mind. The images popped up like a film showing a movie. The monstrosity of my mother's chest being ripped open by those **things**, her head then rolled next to my feet, and her eyes that seemed to stare into my soul. I heard the demonic moans that escaped from her mouth; it had took all of my strength to try not to cry.

The next scene that sprang into my mind was my father's leg lounged on top of our "house", our tent, and one of his arms clawed off, the other completely vanished. As I tumbled to the ground and managed to crawl to his pulverized body, I spotted teeth marks that had broken his neck. His eyes were also wide open and his mouth seemed as if he was trying to yell something to someone right when he died. I couldn't help but try to imagine what he was going to say.

"Lula, never stop smiling."

"Honey, I love you."

"Life was good until the end, wasn't it darling?"

"Please, spare my-"

**"Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die."**

I never thought the day would come where I would be an orphan; I tried to envision my father cuddling with my mother for the last time. He must have been whispering sweet nothings into her ear, tried to calm her down, assured her that everything will turn out fine. He probably still tried his best even in death to entwine hands with my mother so their souls could not be separated.

**"Not even death can tear them apart."**

"…but where is Lula, love?"

"We will see her soon, do not fret."

I gawked back up into the eyes of my "parents". From what I could depict, my mother's arms stretched out to reach me as my father hunched over and waited for me to give him a giant bear hug. I greatly wanted to race over and join them, but something about their sudden appearances made me stiffen with suspicion. They are supposed to be dead. This could not be them.

**"This is not my family…I am all by myself now."**

Usually I had a difficult time protecting myself, but I was determined to live. I had not been through this journey for nothing.** I had a purpose in life, I believed. I was meant to be somebody in this world. **

"Get away from me, you creep!" "I am warning you!"

I felt for my knife that was concealed in my pocket, but soon noticed its absence.

"Fudge nuggets!" I yelled, evincing my father's words. In the back of my head, I remembered the words of a novel I used to enjoy when I was younger.

**"You are not going to survive."**

**"Death waits for no man - and if he does, he doesn't usually wait for very long."**

* * *

When I first opened my eyes, I first wondered if I was dead. The aches in my legs were gone. The irritation in my scalp had stopped hurting too. I tried to feel around for my backpack but the dimness from the cave restricted me from finding it. The only sense of light was coming from the mouth of the cave. If I hadn't been so comfortable, I would have been trying to look around at my surroundings. While I was reclined on the floor, my eyes began to close again. Believe it or not, but this is the most relaxed place I have been to since the death of…them.

"It's so warm in here" I mumbled out loud.

"Why thank you, strange one."

"Oh, your quite wel-"

Wait a second! Hold up, did somebody just say something? I turned my head around to see bright yellow eyes beaming back at me. Her red pupils seemed to smile at my apprehension. For a second, and I mean for a split second, she reminded me of my mother, but then I was back into being completely frightened. I was lying down on a lioness and she just spoke! I must of hit my head harder than I thought!

"No need to be afraid, child."

At the sound of the other voice, I again looked at its direction. Standing underneath the moonlight was an auburn mane lion. He looked well-built and checked me for any further injuries at a distance.

"Oh gee, not another lion." "Please don't e-eat me!"

My eyes grew wide, and I tried to back away to the other end of the cave wall, but I didn't get any far as the lioness grabbed the end of my shirt and tugged me back into place. She chuckled a bit and smiled at me.

"Don't push yourself! You just fainted a little while ago, you know."

I was not prepared for this moment at all. Are the lions really talking or did I just go mad? Could this day get any worse? First I had a nightmare and now I am actually living with one!

As if the male lion could of heard my thoughts, he walked over to me and nudged my shoulder. I stared into his eyes and saw sincerity and concern. Maybe they weren't bad after all?

He too smiled and went to lay down with I realized then to be his mate, the lioness who still had a tight grip on me.

"W-who are you?" I managed to ask.

"You don't know me? I am Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands." He replied in a charismatic tone.

"You mean lions really are the rulers of the jungle!?" I gasped a bit too quickly.

This means I really should have paid more attention to my science teachers back in middle school. I was about to ask them more inquires, but I realized that I have to pop the most important questions first.

"Why didn't you have me as a meal?"

"…and how did I get here?"

"…crepes am I supposed to call you your majesty? I am so sorry!"

"…your majesty!"

Mufasa and his mate both looked at each other and burst out laughing. Their relationship reminded me of my parent's interactions between each other.

**"We were one big, happy family…"**

**"Until the monster's killed us all…"**

"You are in Pride Rock right now. My mate, Sarabi, and I found you near the borders of our territory. When you collapsed, we carried you to our den." Mufasa then continued on,

"We called our shaman, Rafiki, and he took care of your wounds."

His words dazed me. They helped me! Lions actually tried to care for me. How sweet is that?

"Thank you for saving my life!" I cheered and flashed a smile back at them.

This might sound bizarre, but I like it here in Pride Rock. Sure, this isn't what I would call paradise or Hawaii; however, I am starting to get attached to Mufasa and Sarabi. It is not like I have anywhere else to go. At this point of my life, it doesn't matter if the lions devour me or not. I had nothing left to look foward too.

**"It's like there is a strong bond between us."**

_**"No matter how many times she was told that she was loved, there was no recognition that the proof was in the abandonment."**_

"Your majesty" I interrupted again.

"Why didn't you eat me? Are you vegetarians too?"

Mufasa was about to answer but then Sarabi spoke.

"Well, it was our decision ultimately, but our son took an interest in you."

Mufasa and Sarabi had a son? I am pretty sure I never met another lion before, let alone a cub! Wait a second, I think I had.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"Is anybody there?" I managed to sputter. The bristling in the hedges stopped at the sound of my voice. Thinking everything was okay now, I exhaled and mocked myself.

"See Lu, there is nothing to be jittery about." I contemplated personally. Much to my dismay, a wee golden hairball put my branch that was cooking the fish to his lips and hastily tugged it to wherever he was going…

* * *

"Oh, you mean that little dude!"

"Did he like the fish?"

"I LOVED it!" a tiny voice responded right on cue. It sounded like he was waiting outside the den. I could not help but snicker. The little guy is like a baby cousin I never had.

I surveyed the two lions in front of me. For some reason, I felt as though we had met before. Staring into both of Mufasa's and Sarabi's eyes, I noticed that Mufasa had my father's playfulness, yet he was also an outspoken leader. Sarabi gave me the same looks as my mother did. She gave me a fuzzy feeling that only a mother could give to her child.

Mufasa spoke after, bringing me back to reality.

"What is your name?"

I knew Mufasa expected a quick response. He had the tone of a calm and also demanding leader.

When I heard his words, it just prompted back harsh recollections in that these lions sitting in front of me weren't my real parents. My mom and dad were up in heaven now.

_**"They could be in hell for all that mattered."**_

Sighing, I uttered, "My name is Lula" I began. "Lula Kaluwa Mkiwa".

"I know, my name sounds a little weird. My parents were obsessed with Swahili names."

"No, it's a beautiful name, but the meanings of them are so tragic." Sarabi then clarified the denotation behind them.

**"Kaluwa, the forgotten one"**

**"Mkiwa, the orphaned child"**

Mufasa swallowed, then repeated,

"Why are you here, Lula?" "These lands are obviously not your home."

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"AAAHH!" I heard both my parent's scream.

"M-mom...? D-dad...?

…I saw that one of them were dragging my mother's lower body across the plains. All of a sudden, I had the biggest need to vomit…

… fell to my knees at the sight of its gore. My father's limp body stuck out like a sore thumb- his bloody hands next to our canteens and his right leg were thrown above the tent. Shoes that belonged to both of my parents were scattered across the territory…

* * *

Tears began to cloud my eyes and I looked away from both of them. The last thing I wanted was for a King to see me cry. I took a deep breath then composed myself.

"My parent's and I were taking a trip here. A couple of days ago they died from a hyena attack…"

Mufasa's eyes became wide when I answered his question. He instantly sputtered something into Sarabi's ear, and even she seemed to be flabbergasted. She took a glance at me and nodded at him to tell me something important.

'I wonder what they are talking about.' I thought to myself.

Mufasa swallowed and paused before continuing. "Lula, was this hyena attack about two or three days ago?"

"Yeah why"?

"…because I was there" he confided.

* * *

**Flashback**

"They licked their lips and laughed maniacally; I held my breath as they drew closer until I saw that one of them were dragging my mother's lower body across the plains. All of a sudden, I had the biggest need to vomit. I started to move backwards but my foot hit something hard, perhaps a rock being unnoticed, and I the need to stifle my groans of pain as I lifted my head off the ground, the three hyenas were on top of me in an instant, and one of them pressed down unto my arms..."

"I looked into his eyes and noted a strip of white fur that looked like a mohawk from the twentieth century. Drool dripped from his mouth and his tongue poked out from amongst his revolting yellow teeth. I tried to stand up, but his paws held me back in protest to these actions. His other two buddies began to encircle me and then I was completely surrounded. In penchant, they fondled with their chapped lips again, but most of my attention was to the own holding me down. I failed at my endeavor to kick him off and only succeeded in injuring myself further..."

"Well look who we have here, a little girl..." the hyena snickered maliciously.

"Just one more meal for us to eat!" he growled and almost clawed at my chest, but a loud roar interrupted his actions. A figure plummeted from behind, and drove the hyena off of me.

"Go now!" roared the obscure silhouette.

* * *

I was stunned. No, I was completely astonished. This lion in front of me was the same hero that rescued me from the three hyenas. I had a lump in my throat and it became difficult to speak. How do I thank somebody for saving my life? Do I blurt out a simple thanks?

**"Thank you!"**

No! There was nothing to describe the amount of words to give one my earnestness cannot help him understand the emotions I am feeling right now.

**_"He would of regretted saving her later on..."_**

When I rememberes my past, a part of me wished Mufasa had not saved me, so I could have been with my parent's in heaven. Altthough, in spite of that, I was glad to be alive, but not for long.

**"It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on, coughing and searching, and finding."**

I made direct eye contact with Mufasa. At this point in time, I did not care if I cried in front of g-d if he was with me. What I did was flung myself at him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pressed my face into his fluffy, auburn mane. Noiselessly, I wept until I had no more tears left. I was glad he made no movements to get me off. Having him to cry onto, and to hold onto, was what I needed. I desired consolation and it was refreshing to let the negativity out of me.

I let go of Mufasa and nuzzled Sarabi. When she put her paw on top of my shoulder and cradled me securely in her arms, I was gracious at her compassion. She played with my blonde curls as she mouthed reassuring words to me.

"You are not alone anymore, Lula." "I have you."

Her words sealed my fate. I no longer had any motive to leave Pride Rock, but would they accept me as one of their own? Can a human girl really live amongst lions?

**_"No, they cannot..._**"

_**"And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death...we live in a cycle of torture". **_

When I smiled and let go of her, she and Mufasa had stood up. They both looked at each other and smirked, as if they were thinking of something important.

"Lula, Mufasa and I have to speak privately for a couple of minutes. Wait here for us, okay?"

I nodded and nervously responded with a quiet "…okay".

Sarabi and Mufasa were roaming back to exit the cave before Sarabi glimpsed back at me once last time with her uneasy eyes, and anxiously left the cave.

By this time, my eyes had finally adjusted to the almost complete darkness. I was leaning against one of the cave walls now that Sarabi had exited, and I soundlessly meditated in the corner. Due to the fact that it was around nighttime currently, I once again wished to feel the evening breeze and stare up into the stars like I used too. I wanted my eyesight to burn from the flames of the stars; I wanted to point out the constellations and follow the Northern Star to my path of destiny. If I listened carefully, I could hear the leaves on the branches of trees sing and dance as the winds whistled their lovely tunes. I pictured the trees not just in one color of green, but fertile in the colors of the rainbow all year around. Each evening star represented an angel's life up in nirvana.

Somewhere in paradise, a land far beyond the boundaries my eyesight could reach, I knew that my parents were protecting me from a place where no violence existed. I hoped I wasn't wrong.

**"'Cause you'll be in my heart**

**Yes, you'll be in my heart**

**From this day on**

**Now and forever more"**

Just then, Mufasa and Sarabi reentered the cave. Feeling as though I should stand up, I got onto my feet and bowed down to acknowledge Mufasa's presence as the King.

Mufasa smiled at me and so did Sarabi. They both came into the room with grace and dignity. It was hard to take my eyes off of their aura, as their ambience attracted me like a magnet. For a split second, I saw my parent's standing in back of them.

"Lula" Sarabi initiated, "where are you going to stay from now on?"

Sheepishly, I stated, "I was kind of hoping I could stay here at Pride Rock, if that is okay with your majesties?" I looked down at the ground during my response and felt kind of ashamed at the truth. The last thing I wanted was to be a bother to Mufasa and Sarabi. In my anxious state, I couldn't keep still. I twirled my feet and fingers, avoiding direct eye contact.

Sarabi stride over to me and pressed her forehead against mine. She rubbed one of her paws on my shoulder and brought me closer to her.

"It will be our honor for you to live with us."

"Promise"? I asked wearily.

Mufasa grinned then horsed around a bit, "Yes, you made delicious fish!"

For the first time in days, I laughed as hard as I could. I ran to Mufasa and pulled him close to Sarabi and me.

**"Mom, dad, I will always love you."**

**"But this is my home now."**

"Then let's get cooking!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I only own Lula, the rest belong to the creators of TLK! Thank you everyone for the reviews, everything goes appreciated. Please give me suggestions for revisions and tell me what you think! By the way, I do not know if anybody had noticed, but the reason why I am making everything in past tense is for a purpose! Enjoy the chapter! :)**

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

"_**She's strong, yet scary…"**_

We turned around and walked outside the cave in unison. In these few moments together, I was in pure bliss. For the first time in forever, I enjoyed being my own person. I felt as though I did not have to conform for the majority. No longer did I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was genuinely smiling back at the misfortunes of the fallen and wish these victims of darkness my farewells, because I refused to be one of them anymore. I wanted to be myself again, was that so wrong?

"_**A smile is the best way to get rid of one's struggles, even if it might be a fake one."**_

"Lula, hurry and catch up with us!" yelled Mufasa as he contemplated to see that what I had been immersed in.

Down by the basin was the sun's reflection against its brackish surface. Below the waters, I fancied that fish of all colors were cavorting in coral reefs and pieces of seaweed swam in one direction. Amber, scaly fish were eating the algae growing on top of rocks, maroon, fiery fish were mating in the shape of a heart, and cerulean, aghast fish camouflaged away from predators. All of the marine life here felt the sun's radiation shining upon them. Up above too, the whitened clouds, even fattened with rain, refused to cry as it would destroy their tranquility.

_**"I wish I could live in pacification, but the world does not wish for such a deficiency."**_

"Whoever gets there first will be a rotten egg!" I joked as I ran towards…

I abruptly stopped dead in my tracks and forgot to catechize the important question that mattered forthwith.

"Where are we going?" I inquired to Mufasa and Sarabi, who were only a couple of feet behind me.

"Why, we are going to meet everyone!" exclaimed Mufasa enthusiastically while Sarabi nodded in compliance with her mate.

"Oh okay, I am going to see everyone that makes sense..."

"W-wait, what do you mean everyone!?"

"I am not even presentable! My hair is a mess and my clothes are torn and..."

I looked into Mufasa's amber eyes just to see him giving me an exaggerated, deadpanned stare. His face formed into a frown and and nose compressed in vexation. Even without him talking, I heard him speaking inside of my soul, if that made any sort of sense. His face read, "Are you kidding me right now?" "Are you pulling my tail here?"

His expressions recalled me back to the times of when my father was still mortal. My dad would always think I was inane; he would always think I was pulling some shenanigans on him, but I swear I wasn't. Well, maybe I was a few times, except the unexpected happened on one usual day.

_**"When a person is crazy, one would learn to keep quiet."**_

* * *

**Flashback:**

"Lula! Come here right now!" yelled my father as I squealed over one of my favorite novels, _"Girl Meets Boy"_

A part of me fathomed that I should had immediately sprinted towards my dad and ask what was wrong, but seriously I just got to the beautiful moment of Claire and Mark getting together. I have been waiting for this relationship to commence for what seems like a life time; there is no way I will be tearing my eyes off of this paper any time soon! So I continued reading on and on, where I always tried to skip over their passionate intimacy, because the last thing I wanted was to flip through was another "Fifty Shades of Grey". However, another rambunctious voice echoed through the halls that interrupted their moment of fornication.

"Lula, you come here right now or I will…" I barely made out.

'Damn, I think he is serious this time' I thought to myself as I made my way towards my parent's room.

"I really hope this is important father because I had to stop reading about Claire and..."

My voice trailed off when I caught a glance at my dad's appearance. My father was standing inside the bathroom with the door wide open for anybody to see. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, thank g-d, and started into the mirror in shock. He imitated the old cartoons with the character's eyes that always bulged out of their sockets. His hands ran through his blonde hair, and fell down onto the white tiled floor. That was when I noticed more blonde hair strands covering the granite counter-tops. I had to bite down on my bottom lip to not burst out laughing; my eyes could not help but stare at his new bald spot.

_**"She had wanted none of those days to come to a come, and it was always with such disappointment that she observed the darkness striding forward into inception. "**_

"Lula, what did you do!?" exclaimed my father as he kept scratching at his skull.

"It is so itchy and it burns!" he whimpered like a puppy.

My poor father, bald at forty!

"I did not do this, I promise, but I wish I did! You look absolutely terrible!" I joked and finally released the laugh I had been holding in. Not being able to stand the ridiculous situation any longer, my body crumbled to the floor and I continued to have a laughing fit over this nonsensical locality.

"It is not funny! How can I go to court like this!?" my father complained angrily.

"You could wear one of those fancy, European wigs!" I snickered as I began to saunter back to my room and tried to imagine my dad dressing up as Thomas Jefferson or George Washington.

While I slowly approached my room to continue to take in my dad's new guise, I found my mother hidden in the door way. She brought her index finger to her lips and shushed me. She then mouthed the following words:

"Do not tell your father I was the one who dumped the Nair in his conditioner!"

At that moment, I had never been more proud of her.

In the background, I heard my father's screeches. "When I found out who did this to me I will…".

_**"It was these absurd moments in which she missed the most."**_

* * *

"Lula? You okay?" Mufasa gawked at me with concern as he tried to nuzzle my head against his chest, although I was only a bit taller in statue.

"Wha- oh, yes, I am fine, sorry. I was just remembering my parent's before they…before they…" my voice disappeared and I quickly covered my face with my hands. The last thing I wanted the King and his mate was to see my weaknesses. I was a pusillanimous weakling that nobody could cipher. Some moments I was as happy as I could be, and at other times I was as cadaverous as the dead sea.

"_**I wish there were visiting hours in heaven. You guys are up there, right?"**_

All of a sudden, I felt warmth radiating from under me. I heard loud purring and the whispers of comfort. This time, however, I was sick of hearing valueless words. I am done with this; I do not want to continue anymore.

_**"When she could not dream any longer, she died."**_

"Why do you try to act like you know everything and understand when you do not know anything!" I burst out loud.

Before swallowing, Mufasa continued to say, "There are things we do not ever want to happen, but we have to accept, these are the things we do not want to occur or try to avoid, but we have to learn from it, and we have people we hold dear to us, but have to eventually let them go…"

Mufasa's statement echoed repeatedly in my mind. I felt foolish for being powerless. A part of me wants to whack myself in the head or even throw my body against a stone wall. How can he be so strong? I wanted to believe in my own capabilities just like him. I wanted to believe in myself when I claimed that I was the better person, but then the truth arrived and I could not tell myself anymore idiotic lies. My excuses of "I am okay" isn't even an answer-it was a rhetorical question that people told themselves when life got in the way.

Sometimes, it was not death that I was afraid of, because death seemed more like an open invitation compared to the mysteries of reality. Where was life going to take me? What was my destiny? I consistently asked myself this, but no answer ever arrives.

"T-thank you…" I manage to croak out.

"_**Is there a way that a person can steal happiness? Or is that another one of life's infernal and internal tricks?" **_

Instead of speaking to me directly, Mufasa and Sarabi waited for me to act first. They wanted me to depend on them instead of forcing me close. If I didn't meet them, I do not know where I would be right now; one thing would be certain if that was the case, however. I would have been dead a long time ago.

I released my tears and collapsed to the ground. I slowly crawled pathetically towards my saviors as I chest began to heave.

'This is going to be the last time I will ever let myself cry.' I promised.

"_**To bad life had to get in the way, again…"**_

After a couple of minutes, I stopped sobbing and smiled at Mufasa and Sarabi. As always my saviors whisked my away into their haven.

"Can I clean myself up before I am presented to your pride? I asked.

"Of course, Lu!" nodded Mufasa. "There is a lake a mile away from here. I think you saw it before when you first arrived."

"Just do not take too long!" teased Sarabi. "We do not have all day."

"I will be quick! Thank you!"

I did not want to admit anything to either Sarabi or Mufasa, but I just wanted to cool off a little bit. The last thing I needed was an argument with a pack of hungry lions and lionesses, even if they were a part of Mufasa's pride!

Taking a deep breath, I took in the morning dew and began heading to the lake Mufasa and Sarabi told me about. From what I heard, apparently none of the animals in the Pride Lands wanted to be near there.

"Maybe a ghost haunts the reservoir?" I mocked to nobody in particular.

I hastily doubled checked to see if any hippopotamuses or other animals were around before I took off my attire and laid it out in the fields to dry.

While I dived into the lagoon, I could not help, but release a sign and mutter to myself before dunking my head into the water, "It has been so long since I took a bath!"

While I cleaned myself, I remembered a poem my mother used to recite to me when she was little; my mother was not one of those people who were normal, I used to think. This is because all of her poems she wrote were references to the darkness living amongst the living. She taught me that the most joyful person can hide secrets inside.

I'm always,

Sad and lonely,

But have nobody to comfort me.

So I have to resort,

To a mask,

To hid my feelings.

None of you knew better,

Because I acted like you,

Another person who,

Was always smiling.

My cries were silent,

Hidden behind my mask.

You couldn't see,

The pain being held dearly,

Because,

There was a mask,

In front of me.

But day by day,

As I was slowly dying,

Each time,

I struggled to put on my mask,

My misery was leaking.

But still,

Even though,

My mask was almost broken,

Nobody could still see,

The pain being held dearly.

_**"Her words, why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn't be any of this. There would not be anything of me."**_

Underneath the water, I held my breath as I rustled with my knotted, blonde hair. When I resurfaced, I saw bright green orbs staring down at me.

"Ah! Oh my gosh, you scared me!" I proclaimed loudly.

"I just wanted to see the human Mufasa was talking so much about." the blank mane lion blandly replied.

"O-okay…I guess…" I grunted with some difficulty.

The appearance of the rusty brown-colored lion petrified me. Despite the fact that he had a scrawny muscular shape,it was his vertical scar covering his left eye that left me frozen and inarticulate. It took me a few moments to compose myself, and in this time his carefully observed me. It was as if he saw something inside of me nobody else had.

"Sorry, I will leave now." I apologized and reached out for my clothes that I left to dry by the sun's rays. Before I could step out of the water, I felt a hardened grip on my wrist. He then brought me close to him and muffled ever so softly:

"You were not like how I imagined you to be…" he stated as he licked his lips.

My thoughts were racing and scrambling with fear at that point. When I could not do anything but focus on the lion as he rolled his tongue over his mouth, I wanted to close my eyes and whisk him away, but he prevented me from doing so. It felt like a staring contest when we both scrutinized every hair follicle, every breath of air, and every swallow. He pushed me toward the ground and as I fell, he caught me midair and soon enough he was on top of me. He played with my golden bangs and curled it in his paw. We were so close that I felt his exhalations.

"You are so cute when you are scared." he boldly stated.

I remembered what my parents told me to do when I was in this predicament, to scream and run away, but when I opened my mouth to do so, he put his paw there so all anybody could hear was the sound of a lizard walking over grass.

"Now, now, do not get feisty..." he guffawed.

"Please...go..." was all that I managed to get out.

He brought his other paw to my thighs and I stiffened with dread as he kept on moving forward and forward toward my...

"Lula! The presentation is about to commence!"

Apparently the nefarious male did not care that Sarabi was near, because he continued on what he was doing. I tried to beg him to stop, to protect my innocence, but he did not listen, and I eventually stopped struggling and let him do what he wanted. Sarabi would not see us anyway, we were hidden amid the grass and rocky shores. His location of privacy seemed as though he planned for this to happen.

_**"She gave up trying to give up..."**_

From about a couple of feet away, Sarabi's voice came back into the distance, "Lula, where are you?"

All of a sudden, the heinous lion stood up and trekked toward Sarabi. He then said to her, "Lula is still getting ready. She told me to tell you to wait for her by Pride Rock."

Sarabi looked at him with her eyebrows lifted as she replied, "Alright..."

The monster took one last glance at me before he smirked and left. I tried to stand up and call for Sarabi, but I had no energy to do so. I felt dirty, unclean. It took me a hour to get back on my feet and dress, and it took me another hour to get to Pride Rock.

* * *

"There you are! What took you so long?" interrogated Mufasa as he dashed towards me in an instant. He observed me from head to toe, checking me for injuries.

"Scar said that he saw you but did not say anything. What happened? Mufasa asked me suspiciously.

I swallowed and tried to come up with a brilliant lie that would get him off my case. I mean, if I told him what really happened, who would he believe? Would he really believe a human girl rather than his own blood brother? I didn't think so. "I hit my head over some rocks as I jumped into the lake. Scar was the one who saved me from drowning."

Mufasa nodded his head in agreement to my story and caressed me as a parent would. "Make sure you are more careful next time."

" Let us get going then!" enunciated Mufasa as he waited for me to stand next to him. On his right was Sarabi, and Simba, with a small tuft of fur on his head.

'That must be Simba.' I thought.

When we all reached a clearing that seemed to be the throne room, Mufasa took a deep breath and roared for the other lions and lionesses to arrive and form a giant circle. As they started to come, they all silently bowed to their king. While they were showing their profound respect towards him, I caught some of their eyes looked at me either curiously or fearfully.

In the distance, a blue hornbill flew through the skies and landed directly on Mufasa's shoulder like a parrot would with its pirate. "Good afternoon, your majesty." he said as he bowed, then gave me the evil eye.

Mufasa cleared his throat and began talking to his subjects. I was smiling back at everyone unit a darkened figure appeared from behind another incoming lioness. His eyes shined brightly from the sun's gaze. Even when he is being radiated in sunlight, his aura is always filled with darkness. I have never seen a more frightening creature and I do not think I ever will. He scarred me for life.

"I have called everybody here today to make an announcement. This human here is Lula, and she is going to be a new member of our pride." declared Mufasa as he beamed to everyone and me. Then, he ushered me forth.

"Hello! As you have heard from Mufasa, I am Lula and..."

A lionesses voice broke my speech as she scream and interrupted, "WHAT!? How can you let that stupid, human girl join our pride!?" The lioness began to stand up and head to me. She growled as she made her way and showed me her teeth in intimidation. She was about to pounce when **he **brought his paw and slapped her across the cheek**. **

"Zira! Be quiet! You do not know Lula!" growled my harasser. The other lionesses, Mufasa, Sarabi, Simba, and I stared at him with disbelief. I would have never thought that he of all people-wait lions- who would stand up for me. He was the one who...

"Zira, enough!" Mufasa roared and she became quiet, but her facial structure expressed her hatred to me.

"Everybody listen to what Lula has to say!" declared Mufasa.

I stared back at the pride again as I struggled to control myself. I felt Zira glaring straight at me, trying to make me feel nervous. She began sharpening her nails on the ground as I spoke.

"_**The weak will fall, but the strong stay grounded and will not dare to let go."**_

"As of a couple of days ago, I became an orphan. Mufasa and Sarabi saved me from the hyenas who murdered my parents, then nursed me back to health. If it was not for their sympathy, I would not be standing or talking with you all presently. I understand that it is my kind in which you are afraid of, but I am not one of those people. I am here today to protect you all, because this is the only home I have left."

The faces that once glared at me fell quickly. Even from this distance, I saw Zira leaving the area in absolute disgust. The other lionesses who remained apologized for their actions and travesties. This renewed the life stored in me. I feel as though I have a new purpose in my life, to live alongside my new family. This was going to be my second chance of a fairy tale ending, I honestly believed. For now, I forgot about Scar's interactions with me and I forgot about my travesties.

_**"To bad it wasn't meant to be..."**_

Mufasa, Sarabi, Simba, and I looked at each other cheerfully. Before we drew into an embrace, Mufasa had one last announcement before anybody else left.

"Everyone, Lula is not to be harmed in any way! You are now officially dismissed!"

Feeling something tugging at my legs, I looked down to see a light tan, blue-eyed cub grinning.

"Hello! My name is Nala! Welcome to the pride!" she said eagerly before sprinting off in search of his mother.

_**"One of the easiest ways to be happy is to let go of the things that made you sad."**_

I now understand that life can never be perfect, but what else could explain the reason why I have everything I ever needed: a wonderfully family.

_**"A family that only brought misfortune."**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I only own Lula, Sarah, and Michael, but do not have the rights to claim the other characters, as they all belong to the creators of "The Lion King". I loved reading your reviews and hope for some more! Just another quick reminder, almost everything is in past tense for a reason, but feel free to correct me on my mistakes. By the way, the story is going to have some dark turns soon, so get ready! I also want to thank one of my friends, Jackie, for helping me think of new ideas for the story. Thank you guys and have a beautiful day! :)**

* * *

I stared at Mufasa, Sarabi, and Simba who walked in front of me as we were jaunting back to the lion's den. Along the way, pain had struck my heart every time I heard Simba laugh or when Mufasa gave his son the biggest bear hug I had ever seen; the way Sarabi chortled as she caressed Simba's small patch of fur left me with envy. I knew thinking like this was wrong, but I believed I had a right to be jealous. Stupid of me, I understood that, but when I saw them all together, this reminded me of when my parent's let me stand in the middle of both of them and swung me around with their bare hands, kind of like a children's swing set. I could never forget the time when my parent's dropped me when I got older, where they claimed that I was to "heavy" to be picked up. It took all of my embodiement tovnot dawn on the times of all of us laughing together. My heart was striken with grief because I never got to say my goodbyes to my loved ones. I tried so hard to not think of my parents, but they haunted not only my dreams but impersonated and intruded figments of my reality. Sometimes I would believe I was possessed by an evil entity when I saw the bloody faces of parent's floating before me. When I was in this abjected state, I was passed the point of redemption and casted into a living nightmare because hell would have been a far lesser punishment for me. I was the reason my parent's died, I constantly integrated that into my mind and would not let my belief escape. They did not deserve to be punished because of my misfortune. I was the one of should of been killed.

"Lula, are you not coming in?" Mufasa questioned when he looked back at me just to see that I stood right outside the den and refused to head inside as I was busy staring off into space. I dreamed of a greater figure than my own that failed to whisk me away and decided to torture the ones that I didn't want to get hurt. I felt like I was locked, isolated in a prison cell, and through my tiny window, I had been forced to watch the sufferings of my people. I had to stop thinking like this before I went insane for real.

"No, I need some fresh air." I professed wistfully. "It has been a while since I cleared my thoughts…" I managed to splutter out one of my many excuses against in going inside the cave and rambled away to wherever I felt like, despite the fact that Mufasa gawked at me as if I committed complicity. Right now, this last thing that mattered to me was my relationships with the pride members. All I care about as of now was myself and only myself. The memories of Scar flooded into my mind and I struggled to hold back my emotions. I felt dirty and the opposite of my usual self. I had to get out of here.

"Simba, please follow her for me."

_**"Humans are such selfish creatures, but that was what made her interesting. She had no idea what was heading toward her. Besides, if she was normal, this would not have made an interesting story."**_

As I strolled and wandered around, I soon found myself upon a grassy hill i had saw before and laid down in no particular spot of favoritism. While the wind blew, I shivered with not only from coldness, but with fear. So much of my life had been changed already, so I wondered what was going to occur later on in the future. My thoughts scrambled to find specific answers for my destiny countless of times. I inquired on simplistic questions that did not really matter too, such as whether or not my hair will get longer, will my acne ever go away, or if my fear of butterflies can disappear? Deep down, my conscious screamed at me to gain some common sense, to be downhearted and depressed, because the fact was that my parents literally just died, but something inside of me sensed that everything I had endured was not as sufferable as it could have been, or as worse as it was going to be in the future. That was if I had any future anyway.

"Oh lord, I hate it when I am depressed." I sulked and wiped my tears away with my shirt.

After I sniffled a couple of times, I gawked up into the evening sky, and wished I had been one of the stars that shined descending rays onto its verdurous plains. While I snuggled my head to be closer into the dirt that gave life to its localized folk, I barely made out the sounds of tiny crickets that chirped until their heart was content and the sounds of bird's wings that fluttered back to their nests in life's cycle of morning and night. When I brought my legs onto my chest for some warmth, I smiled while I recognized constellations that I learned from my middle school years such as the Big Dipper and Castor and Pollux. Down past the fertile hill, I gazed toward my favorite flowers, the Opium and the Daphne. As the stars twinkled ever so softly in the periwinkle vault of heaven, I thought I heard familiar whispers that were spoken to me before. I felt like I heard of the voices from my past lives, but that would be crazy, right? How I was able to remember things nobody should ever remember. They were the reasons why I tried to conceal my identity, as if I knew what that was myself. Maybe a part of me knew the truth, but it does not matter anymore and you will eventually find out why. At that time, I felt like a blanket of evil. Other times, I was a possessed doll that committed treacherous sins.

_**"You are a necessary evil…"**_

"Lula, what are you thinking about?" "Are you okay?" I perceived from a small lion from abaft. I took a brisk gander to happen to see Simba who also not too far where I was sat. For a split second, I thought he pitied me. Why does he want to be with a girl like me? I had to shake my head to erase the negativity out. "Stop saying that to yourself, Lula. Simba means well!"

"Oh, I am not thinking of anything special." I revealed to Simba and went back to focus on the luster, effulgent stars that sparkled in the great unknown. I still attempted to push the negative thoughts out of my mind, and tried to stay positive, but what was the point?

_**"She was reaching her breaking point, the poor soul. Too bad it would only get much worse." **_

Perhaps Simba caught my attention fixating at duskiness because he yawned and harped on, "My father told me that the great kings of the past are up there."

"Are the kings up in the sky any good?" I hesitated to confess. "My parents had never told me anything like that." "If somebody is truly up there, I have a plethora of questions for them."

Simba stared at me with a flabbergasted expression and huffed, "What kind of parents were they, then?"

"Well, the ones that died were not my biological parent's first of all, and I have not met my real parent's yet. My other family were atheists, so there was no way they would take me to church." I countered while I reminisced my past. I began to remember the time when my mother had gave me a lecture on how religion was idiotic or the time when my father had always whipped me after I came home excitedly after my World Religion class. The image of my mother crushing my poem of the cruelty of the world suddenly popped into my mind. It was then I realized that even the most joyful of people had a tragic secret inside of them, and how we all have something to hide. Is that not ironic though? How nobody can be themselves anymore or otherwise we all would be judged and discriminated? It was also pathetic that I judged other people too. The person who hated being victimized showed bias to others. Again another sin of me being alive or being myself. Maybe I could turn myself in lion jail?

"Lula, there is no such thing as a g-d!" "Get that through your pathetic brain of yours already!" my father would dictate as I dashed to my room in tears. "You do not know anything!" I would wail back in frustration.

"Why don't they believe me?" I continuously questioned. "Do they not see who we are?"

_**"No matter how many times her parent's told her that she was loved, there was no recognition that the proof was in the abandonment. She was beyond saving and nobody knew that better than herself, I hope."**_

* * *

**Flashback:**

"Honey, are we ready for a baby?" asked a young woman of thirty. She had blonde, curly locks that touched her delicate shoulders, which emphasized her fragile statue. Her pale blue tank top barely covered her plumped stomach, and she turned to her husband and looked into his emerald eyes.

Her husband rubbed his rough hands into his crimson hair and took a deep exhalation, as he was in deep concentration. His wife and him just gotten married in the fall, and were not stable for a child as of right now. In fact, his wife should not have gotten pregnant at all because she had lazy ovaries and always took birth control. They also questioned on what disabilities their child would have, due to the fact that his wife drank and smoked during the first trimester. They were not bad, no, but they were just clueless on what being a parent meant. There was no book to tell you how to be a parent, you just are one. It is like questioning why people love or why people die. It just happens and we have no control of it. Nobody has control over his or her own lives, and this included Lula and the others too. They were all oblivious in an odd sense; evil that cannot be demurred was heading closer to the Pride Lands, but they all remained felicitous with each other.

_**"I wish this would not have happened to her, but it was her destiny, her fate, and that cannot be unwritten."**_

"Everything will be fine, I am sure of it." the husband replied before he took another deep breath and swallowed. "Sarah, we have to do this right." he said as he placed his rough hands on her shoulders and embraced her. He loved his wife and child with all of his heart, he promised, but he could not bear this situation any longer.

Sarah nodded and looked into her husband's eyes as she leaned foward and kissed him softly on the cheek. She then gently whispered "Michael, we only have one shot at this...if anything goes wrong, then...". She paused as her husband pressed a finger to her lips and murmured back "I know, Sarah, I know...". "Everything depends on us and the baby..." he looked down at his wife's swollen belly and held back his tears. He had to remain strong. He could not show his weakness and anxiety to his wife, or else she would be worried even more.

"Our poor little Lula..." Sarah muttered and held Michael even tighter. "She must never know the truth or else-"She was interrupted by Michael shaking his head to stop her from continuing.

"No need to explain, okay? We just have to play our role and…" he stopped talking and let the silence fill the atmosphere.

"…and then we die" Sarah finished and placed a hand to her forehead to cover her eyes.

"…and then we move on" Michael revised and smiled dolefully. "We will always watch over her."

_**"What Michael said was the truth, at least. They would all meet again…just not in the best of ways".**_

* * *

Simba must have noticed that I looked terribly grave and decided to cheer me up a bit. He tugged at my shirt and put on a beatific expression on his face. "Let's race back to Pride Rock!" A small part of me laughed, especially since Simba's suggestion sounded more like an order than anything else.

"He is going to be a wonderful king..."

"Okay, put we have to count to three first!" I stretched and got into my running position. In the background I heard Simba counting "One…two…" At the sound of two, I darted past Simba and sprinted as fast as I could have managed. I tried remembering what my past physical education instructors taught me about breathing techniques. "In...out...in...out...".

"Hey! You cheated!" Simba squealed from behind and tried catching up with me. I heard his paws crush the blades of grass as he jogged to my side and boasted "...you run so slow"!

I pouted at his way and an idea popped into my mind. I pretended to trip over some pebbles and rolled on the ground a little for some extra effect. "Ow!" I burst and clutched onto my ankle.

Simba stopped sprinting at that point and rushed to my side. "Lula, what happened?" he inquired as he inspected my leg.

"I don't know, I think I fell over something..." I grunted and before Simba could tell that I actually had no injury, I threw some dirt in his face and skedaddled. "Catch me if you can, knucklehead!"

"I am never going to believe you again!" Simba bantered as he rubbed the dust out of his eyes.

"It is too late now! I already won the..." I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a dark figure peering down from the top of the cliff of Pride Rock. Even though it was nightfall, I managed to squint and saw that it was Scar. My legs became frozen with fear and I stiffened almost immediately. He slowly walked down past the trail and headed toward me. I tried to head back to where Simba was, but my body failed to listen to my thoughts.

"Lula, pull yourself together. You do not want anything like what happened before to occur again!" my brain screamed at me, but my limbs did nothing in response. By the time I could blink again, Scar already arrived and took in my appearance as one would with a piece of property. "You are filthy." he stated plainly with no emotion behind his words. He brought a paw to my waist and pushed me closer to him.

"Please...let me go!" I sputtered and attempted to shove him away. He was about to say something, but Simba suddenly appeared. "Are you two playing without me?"

All of a sudden, Scar let go of me and I collapsed onto my knees. He took a quick glance at my direction and sighed. As he walked away, I released a breath I had been holding. I felt so relived now that he was gone. I just do not know what to do when we are both ever alone again-

"What kind of game where you two playing, Lula?" Simba asked as a frown appeared on his face.

I brushed the dirt out of my clothes and looked in Simba's direction. It took me a few seconds to come up with an answer, but I managed to blurt out a pathetic lie anyway. I could not reveal the truth to anyway. It is not as if they would of believed me anyhow. "It was a staring contest!" Deep down, I was hitting my head in frustration. As if Simba would ever believe a stupid excuse like that...

"Oh! I never heard of that game! Can you teach it to me?" Simba begged eagerly. I saw that he was happy because he was wagging his tail in a cycle of circles. I realized that rrom my timea if volunteering with an animal organization. However, it took all of my energy to not faint at the spot. Did Simba seriously believe what I just said? There is no way he could ever-

"Lula! Simba! There you are!" A voice in the background howled. I then saw an auburn mane lion dash to me. He hastened his pace and brought me into a hug. "Never leave so abruptly again, Lula! You didn't even tell me where you were going!"

"I am sorry Mufasa, I just needed some time alone. I honestly did not think you would care where I would go anyway..." I whispered and focused my eyesight toward the ground.

"Well, you thought wrong! You are under my care now." Mufasa put a paw on my chin and forced me to look back into his concerned eyes. "But besides the point, I was going to tell you sooner, but the hunt for tomorrow starts early in the morning so you should wake up early-"

Why was he talking about hunting? Just then, I thought of the time of when my biology teacher taught a class on ecology. "...The lionesses are the ones who find food for the pack..." she would say.

Before he could continue even more, my mouth dropped open and I shrieked loudly, "I cannot hunt! I am a pescetarian!"

"A hoodawada?" Mufasa questioned and perked his eyebrows in curiosity. Simba also gave me a strange look.

"It means I do not eat any meat but fish!" I almost screamed into both of their ears. There was no way I could of hunted. It would of been like going against my free will. I mean seriously, I never heard of an almost vegetarian killing animals. It just doesn't work like that!

"Okay, I do not know how you humans work things like this out, but all females are required to hunt. It is our tradition and there is no way to get out of it!" Mufasa declared and sauntered away with Simba by his side. While they were both laughing, I felt like banging my head against a brick wall. I then thought of what my father would say in my predicament.

"Only this would happen to you, Lula!" He would joke.

I tried to make the best out of my situation and decided to ignore the problem until the next morning. I was beyond tired and my feet felt like they were going to fall off. My entire body felt crushed under the weight of the world. "Maybe Mufasa would forget what he told me...?" I knew that tomorrow was going to be a very long day.

A couple of feet ahead of me, Mufasa and Simba were discussing about trivial topics. "I hope Lula gets some zebra for us! It is my favorite!"

The pescetarian helping lions find meat for the rest of the pack, I would never forget that day. I mean, it was the day something changed. Whether that change was good or bad, is up for you to decide.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait! I had writer's block and ended up in a car accident afterwards. Hopefully I will write again soon! As a reminder, I only own my character, Lula. The rest is from the creators of the Lion King! Thank you for your appreciation! :)**

* * *

I woke up the following morning to Simba's attempt to waking up his father. After stretching and exhaling a long, extended yawn, I rubbed my eyes to see Simba's tiny form over his father, tugging on his ears.

"Dad! Daad! Come on, Dad, we gotta go, wake up!"

Watching and hearing the interactions of the two reminded me of the relationship my father and I had in the past. It wasn't perfect, and I could have been more respectful, but we both acted like two kids trying to have fun. Remembering the fishing trips, kayaking, and skydiving forced me to long for the past. Before reminiscing even further, Simba's voice brought me back to the present.

"Dad? Daad. Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad."

Jumping over the bodies of sleeping lionesses, I quietly approached the entrance to the den and sat outside of Pride Rock, on what they would consider, the 'balcony.' I let my legs swing off the edge and brushed my palms against the rough surface, despite knowing I would get blisters and burns later; I glanced up to look at the sky, and had to brace myself against the sun's protective gaze. I thought of what Simba had told me last night, about the great kings of the past watching over us, then wondered if my parents were up there too.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Mufasa asked as Simba eagerly trailed behind him.

Jumping a little, I turned around to see Mufasa's auburn mane blowing against the wind, imitating the girls running around the beach as in television show Baywatch.

"I hope I didn't scare you." Mufasa mocked as he pretended to not notice my fright.

"No, you just got me off guard!" I attempted to lie, but failed.

Turning to my left, I saw Simba pointing off at the green lands in the distance. It was then I realized how great of a king he would be; even in his small form, he seemed to have an aura of resilience in him. His curiosity and kindness are his strengths and flaws. Mufasa, noticing Simba's gaze linger away, stated,

"Look Simba. Everything the light touches is our kingdom."

"A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day Simba, the sun will set on my time here- and will rise with you as the new king."

"And this'll be all mine?"

"Everything."

Before Simba could further respond, I accidentally blurted and pointed out at the shadowy place out in the distance that seemed to separate good versus evil.

"What are the dead looking lands out there?" I asked towards Mufasa. Before replying, he swallowed harshly and looked away, as if in fear to hurt my feelings.

"That…that are the outlands. You must never go there."

Afraid to hear the answer, I continued to ask anyway. I will not live out my life in fear.

"Then that is where…I was before I came here?" Mufasa turned his back to me and hushed Simba along to further his lesson. Simba, not noticing the tension rising, hopped off while chasing a butterfly, as Mufasa had his face towards the side and exclaimed one last time before completely walking off,

"Yes."

I watched the two disappear before I too stood up and headed towards Sarabi for my first lesson in hunting. I strolled around Pride Rock before finding her by a group of other lionesses. She seemed to be appealing to the others, as they all were in opposition, probably about my joining for today's hunt. A lioness, who's name I picked up to be Zira, mentioned out of doubt,

"Will Lula know what she will be doing? We do not need someone holding us back."

Sarabi, taking charge, firmly stated, "Lula is my responsibility and if she is ordered to hunt, then she will join us."

I approached the circle of lionesses and nodded at all of them, trying not to make eye contact. I did not want to seem more out of place than necessary. Zira gave one last look at me before marching away with the other lionesses,

"I will not let this hunt go to shreds just because of your idiocracy."

Sarabi gave me a long stare before rubbing against my legs. I knew that this was her way of trying to comfort me, a mother's embrace.

"Do not take Zira's words to heart. Not all lionesses like humans and besides, she always wakes up on the wrong side of bed."

I tried to hide my laugh and quickly covered my mouth to cover the giggles. "Was this your attempt of a joke?" I asked.

"Maybe."

This lighthearted chatter seemed to calm me down. I needed to open up more, as this would be my new home for a while, at least. Understanding this, Sarabi prompted me towards the others, as we were drifting behind. I smiled at the open fields, staring in amazement at the zebra and antelope. Taking a deep breath, we both caught up to the rest of the herd and I ran towards the front, shedding the shell off of myself.

"So, what will it be today?"


End file.
